Never Again, Once More
by Siretha Elaine
Summary: Devastated by the sudden loss of the love of her life, Spencer swears never to love again. Her heart seems to fluctuate when she cross paths with Toby. Will she adhere to her promise to love never again or maybe… just maybe, try once more?
1. The Fault in Our Hearts

Chapter 1 – The Fault in Our Hearts

"You know it is bad luck to see the bride the night before the wedding, right?"

"With a bride as beautiful as you, it should be bad luck to go a moment without seeing you," he stated, a wide grin adorning his face.

She kissed the tip of his nose before returning a smile.

"I can't believe that in less than twelve hours, you're going to be all mine," he professed.

Spencer corrected him. "Sweetheart, I was always yours. It'll just be official tomorrow."

She attempted another innocent kiss to his nose, but he alleviated his face so that her lips met his. When she didn't pull back, he pressed further into the contact. He deepened the smooch by gradually inserting his tongue into her oral cavity. He could feel a faint smile beyond her kiss.

Meanwhile, his hands—which had taken shelter beneath her pajama top and rested atop her bare hips—instinctively acquired a mind of their own. Without realizing the activity of his hands, his phalanges walked up Spencer's sides while pushing the silk material up.

When the bride-to-be became aware of his actions, she hurriedly broke the kiss. She scooted backwards on the bed, putting distance between them so she could pull her shirt back down.

"Save it for our honeymoon," she cooed with a flirty smirk.

"Yes ma'am," he replied with pouty lips and puppy dog eyes.

"Oh no. Don't give me that look."

He stuck his lips out further and batted his lashes to exaggerate his faux hurt. Spencer continued to playfully reject her fiancé. He kicked off his shoes and climbed further into the California king bed. He crawled towards her, despite her protests. With seduction embedded in his eyes and a coy grin plastered on his face, Spencer knew what to expect next. She shielded herself beneath the blankets.

He chuckled as he neared her. "Sorry, honey, but you can't hide from him."

He jumped atop his fiancé's body, straddling her. "Say 'ello to my little friend," he belted out in a terrible Cuban intonation.

Spencer erupted with laughter when her fiancé began tickling her incessantly. He, too, shared in her audible bliss; her laughing contagious. It was like sweet music to his ears. Getting lost in his thoughts, Spencer seized the opportunity to take control. Within seconds, she reciprocated their positions, with her locking him beneath her.

His eyes widened in fake fear. "Uh no. Please, Spence, noooo—"

But it was too late. She return the favor and tickled him senseless. The duo laughed and tickled each when he suddenly stopped. Spencer sought to get the best of him and continued.

"Okay, let's stop… for real… Spence… Spence?" he pled.

Spencer was still goofing around, ignoring his pleas, unaware he was serious.

"Spence," he called. "Spencer, stop. Please… I SAID STOP!"

Spencer froze, startled by his abrasive volume. The fright was evident in her stationary eyes.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I didn't mean to yell at you nor scare you."

"It's okay; you just startled me."

"I know and again, I'm sorry. It's just that I don't feel well all of sudden. I think I'm running a fever, Spence."

Spencer placed the back of her hand to his forehead.

"Oh my. You're burning up. Come on; let's get you to the ER."

"No, I don't think that will be necessary. Give it a few minutes. I'm sure it'll subside."

"Honey, are you sure?" she inquired, concerned etched in her question.

"Yeah. I'm probably just overwhelmed with, you know, tomorrow being the big day and all."

Spencer gasp inaudibly. She timidly asked, "Do you think… um… think it's cold feet?"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" he replied. "Please never doubt my love for you; it's unconditional and endless. Spencer Jill Hastings, I love you more than I love myself. There is nothing and no one who can keep me from marrying you tomorrow."

An idyllic smile returned to the brunette's face. It widened when the groom-to-be planted a tender kiss to her lips.

He looked her in her eyes and emphasized his prior promise. "Nothing and no one will deter our big day."

"Thank you," she replied, grateful for the reassurance. "And I love you too, Aiden James Caldwell."

The couple settled beneath the blankets in a spooning position. He planted several kisses to her apple scented hair before drifting off into dreamland, both of them envisaging the upcoming fairytale to take place in a matter of hours.

_Nothing and no one_ echoed in Spencer's mind as she dreamt and that made her ecstatic.

While no one would ruin the day, something would…

~:~

Morning came and Spencer, as usual, was up with the sun. Of course today called for more pep in her step and move in her groove. She quietly eluded the bed before waking up her future husband; she didn't want him to see her before the wedding, considering they were pressing their luck by seeing each other last night.

She slipped into the bathroom, which adjourned the hotel room next to hers. She slid that door opened and entered the massive room identical to hers. She plopped down hard onto the bed to disrupt its occupant's slumber.

"Five more minutes," the raven haired girl groggily requested.

She replied by bouncing up and down like a toddler hyped up on sugar.

"I guess that's a no then," she stated, answering her own question.

She yawned as she sat up in bed and removed her eye mask. The first thing her hazel eyes saw was an incessantly smiling brunette at the foot of her bed.

"Today is the daaaaay," Spencer happily sang.

Aria yawned.

"Come on, let's get dressed," the bride-to-be ordered.

Before she leaped off the bed, Aria grabbed her wrist to restrict her mobility.

"Spencer, are you sure you're ready for this? I mean, you know, it's never too late to change your mind."

"Ar, why do you keep asking me that?" Spencer inquired.

"Because I'm the maid of honor, and it's my duty to make sure the bride is one hundred percent certain and pleased about everything."

Spencer smiled grandly. "I am!"

There was a knock at Aria's door.

"Not ready yet!" Aria shouted.

"Uh, Ar," a male voice on the other side of the door said, "we have a uh, a little problem…"

Spencer's heart stopped at the sound of the word _problem_. Before Aria had a moment to respond, Spencer had flown across the room and yanked the door opened.

She grabbed Ezra by his collar and shook him.

"What do you mean _problem_?!"

"Spencer! I… I didn't know you were in—"

"WHAT PROBLEM?!" she eagerly demanded.

"Okay, please don't freak out, but uh… we… we can't find the groom."

To Aria and Ezra's surprise, Spencer immediately calmed down.

"Oh my God! That bastard! He must've gotten cold feet and taken off!" Aria speculated.

"Don't assume the worst! I'm sure he's around here somewhere…" Ezra stated.

"He's in my room," Spencer finally enlightened once she calmed down and caught her breath. "Don't scare me like that again."

"Sorry, Spence. I'll go get him and get him ready."

Ezra bid the ladies adieu and crossed the plush carpet towards the adjourning bathroom.

Meanwhile, Spencer sat down in front of the vanity where Aria began doing her makeup. As she dabbed beauty products onto her friend, she noticed how incredibly happy Spencer was. She hadn't ever seen her friend in such a blissful state. The more Spencer's smile lingered, the more Aria's guilt engulfed her. It was especially difficult for her to mask her guilt as the wedding neared.

"Spencer…" she enunciated, her low voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes?"

Aria exhaled profusely, in an attempt to calm her nervousness. "I have something to tell you. I know my timing is the absolute worst right now, and—"

Ezra's reentrance interrupted Aria's confession. He ran into the room at full speed, bumping into stuff and not caring. His breathing was heavy and his eyes were unblinking.

"Something's wrong…" he breathlessly announced, high concern laced in his declaration.

"If Aiden's not in there, he must've awaken and returned to his room. Stop panicking—"

"No! Something's wrong with Aiden. I tried several times; he won't wake up."

Spencer uprooted from her seat and dashed back into her room. There where she left him lay her groom-to-be. She yanked the covers off of him.

"Rise and shine, sunshine," she stated.

Aiden didn't move.

"Come on, sweetie," she said, her volume increasing.

She tapped his shoulder. After several attempts, she resorted to shaking his arm.

"Aiden…" she called. "Aiden, this isn't funny. Come on now. It's time to get up."

The result was the same.

"Aiden…"

She placed her fingertip on his lid and pulled it upwards. His eyeball didn't move.

"Aiden! AIDEN!"

She hadn't noticed the rivers streaming down her face. She hadn't noticed that she was screaming extremely loud. She hadn't noticed that she was shaking his entire body really hard.

Ezra pulled out his cell and frantically dialed those dreadful three digits you only called when an unforeseeable tragic struck.

"AIDEEEEEN!"

At 9 AM, a wedding was scheduled to take place to unite Spencer Jill Hastings and Aiden James Caldwell.

At 7 AM, Spencer woke up, getting ready for the joyous event.

At 7:09 AM, friends attempted to awaken Aiden.

At 7:11 AM, 911 was dialed.

At 7:12 AM, Rosewood Memorial Hospital dispatched an ambulance while Rosewood PD dispatched a squad car.

At 7:23 AM, both emergency vehicles arrived at the Le Velvet Hotel.

At 7:24 AM, the paramedics attended to a still nonresponsive Aiden while the detective kept the growing curious audience outside of the hotel room.

After doing all that they could, the EMT ceased their attempts to revive him.

At 8 AM, just one hour before the wedding, the groom was pronounced dead and the bride had a nervous breakdown.

By noon, an autopsy had been conducted and the coroner ruled Aiden's death a homicide.

By 12:01 PM, Detective Toby Cavanaugh had been assigned a case whereas a man had been poisoned on his wedding day.


	2. In the Arms of an Angel

Chapter 2 – In the Arms of an Angel

Veronica and Peter Hastings were lawyers, which meant they always knew what to say and what to do to help their clients. This skilled attribute often rolled over into their personal lives, a great factor when it came to quick thinking and decision making when it came to their families.

However, neither of them had any idea what to say or do at this particular moment to help their youngest daughter. From the other side of the door of the bedroom she grew up in, the duo listened to their daughter's agonizing cries and the Sarah McLachlan song she had been listening to on repeat for three days now.

Three days had passed since the awful tragedy. Each day was worse than the next for the twenty-five year old, because each day when she woke up, she was reminded that her fiancé's loss wasn't a nightmare; it was her sad, unfortunate reality.

Under her bed, she was balled up in feeble position on the floor. With her knees to her chest, she held herself tightly. Her fingernails dug into her skin as she clung onto herself as if she were Aiden and she never wanted to let go. To muffle her loud sobs, she buried her face into the carpet—saturated from her tears.

"Spence…" her mother called from the other side of the door. "Sweetheart…"

Her mother's pleas were being drowned out by the tunes playing from her iPod.

_In the arms of an angel, fly away from here_

_From this dark cold place and the endlessness that you fear_

It was the theme song famous for those heartbreaking End Animal Cruelty infomercials. It was so appropriate for her current disposition. If only an end to her pain was possible…

_You are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie_

_You are in the arms of an angel, may you find some comfort here_

After waiting several moments, Veronica realized her daughter wasn't going to respond nor open the door. The woman looked to her left where her husband stood. She shrugged, uncertain how they should approach the situation. Peter felt just as helpless as she did. They both wanted to make their daughter's distress go away, but that didn't seem likely unless they learned how to bring someone back from the dead.

"Honey," her dad uttered, "the funeral starts in half an hour."

That made her cry even more. The word _funeral_ alone shattered her soul. She was rebelling against going. To her, going to it would make his death official. She kept hoping and praying and wishing that she'd get a call stating he was alive and that he purposely overslept as a wedding prank.

Wishful thinking: it was all she possessed to keep her sane.

The Hastings predecessors turned around when they heard footsteps ascending the stairs. Moments following, a tall brunette toting a pint sized version of herself appeared.

"Is she still in there?" Melissa asked.

Her parents nodded and sighed.

"Is Auntie Pency still swad about Uncle Den?" Taylor inquired.

The second worst thing that occurred the day Aiden died was explaining the tragedy to a three year old who adored him greatly. Taylor had a temper tantrum when her mother informed her that she wasn't going to be a flower girl, because the wedding had been cancelled; this led to Melissa having to explain the awful thing that happened to her favorite uncle.

"Yes, sweetie. She is very sad. We all are," Mel elucidated.

Taylor went rustling through her hair.

"Tay, what are you doing? You're going to ruin your hair like that."

"I wants to give my flower to her to maked her feel better."

"Oh, sweetie. That's a great idea; I'm sure she'll love it."

Melissa bent down to release her daughter from her arms and helped her retrieved the daisy from her auburn hair. Taylor teetered towards the door and knocked lightly.

"Auntie Pency, it's me. May I comed in?"

Veronica, Peter and Melissa mentally crossed their fingers, hoping this would get Spencer to come out and go to the funeral. The door gradually cracked opened, just enough space for the toddler to enter, before closing again.

The adults exhaled in relief. At least she opened the door. That was a start.

"Hey, Sweet Pea," Spencer greeted while trying to sound as upbeat as possible.

Taylor wrapped her small arms around Spencer's neck.

"Pwease don't cry, Auntie Pency. Mommy say Uncle Den goed to a good place in the sky and that he be took care of real goody like Poopy."

Spencer chuckled briefly. Everyone always got a laugh when Taylor said that. She meant puppy; she was referring to Dixon, the family dog that died a while back.

"Yes, that's true. It's just that I'm going to miss him a whole lot."

"Me too! He sneaked and gived me candy and juice all da time. But shhh, don't tell mommy," Taylor pled.

Spencer laughed again. Her parents and sister were eavesdropping from the other side of the door, elated to hear her laugh, even for a second.

"I have a gift for you to maked you happy. Close your eyes pwease."

Spencer did as her niece instructed. She felt Taylor's fingers playing in her hair.

"Mmkay. Open open open!"

"What happened?"

"I putted a pwetty flower in your hair. Daddy gives mommy flowers to maked her feel better all da time, so I gived you flowers to maked you feel better."

"Aww. You're so sweet. Thank you, Taylor," Spencer said, struggling with the new surge of hot tears.

"Pwomise to wear it when we goed to say bye bye to Uncle Den, mmkay?"

"Of course, darling."

After several moments, the door opened. A midnight black chiffon dress curtained the brunette's lean frame, pair with arm length gloves. "I'm ready," she enunciated hoarsely.

~:~

"In the arms of an angel, fly away from here," sang the mass choir per Spencer's request, "from this dark cold place and the endlessness that you fear."

Spencer closed her eyes, forcing the accumulation of tears to bungee jump from her lashes. Her arms crossed before her frame, hugging herself.

"You are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie," they sweetly sang.

Spencer and Aiden's immediate family were seated in the front row. The brunette swiveled her head to look over her shoulder to see many tear-stained faces. The church was packed; each row in the pew had been filled to its maximum capacity. It seemed as if everybody who lived in Rosewood were present at the funeral. A faint smile crossed her lips. She was very grateful for everyone's presence and support. Aiden was well loved.

Seated directly behind her were her best friends. Hanna handed her a Kleenex from her purse while Emily gave her a reassuring nod. Aria was situated between them. She was the last of them to make eye contact, but when she did, it was brief.

Spencer returned her attention to the front where the choir was concluding the soulful melody. Pastor Ted returned to the lectern to end the service and provide the details for the burial site and repast.

As soon as it was over, people rushed over and ambushed Spencer. Many condolences were given; countless hugs were shared; and several sympathy greeting cards were collected. Beyond the sea of nameless faces, the guy sitting alone hunched over caught her attention. She could tell by his hunched over posture that he was bawling insanely.

Spencer excused herself from the crowd surrounding her and voyaged towards the young man's way. She knew he was in just as much pain as she was. She'd lost her fiancé and he'd lost his best friend.

Just before she reached him, a well-dressed man in a three-piece black suit stepped in front of her, followed by another guy dressed similarly.

"Are you Ms. Hastings?" the tall one with extreme bold shoulders asked.

"Yes," she replied. She didn't recognize either of them. "Are you friends of Aiden?"

"No ma'am. We're with Rosewood PD. My name is Detective Wilden and this is my partner Detective Cavanaugh," he professed as they flashed their badges. "Ma'am, we'd like for you to come—"

The other detective, the one who appeared younger, interrupted. He hated how emotionless his partner was being. Of course he understood that they had a case to solve, but he despised how Wilden was emotionlessly diving in. He was so abrasive and inconsiderate. For crying out loud, they were at a funeral!

In a soft and genuine manner, Detective Cavanaugh enunciated, "First, we'd like to say that we're so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you."

From his peripheral, he saw Wilden roll his eyes.

"As I was saying, we'd like for you to come down to the station and answer a few questions."

"Uh, sure," she decreed. "If I may ask, why?"

Before Wilden could mutter a response, Toby quickly replied. "It's just standard procedure, ma'am. We understand that this is a difficult time for you and your family, but it is essential that you come in as soon as possible. Here's my card. Please call to schedule at your earliest convenience."

Spencer nodded. "Ok, I will."

After waving goodbye, the gentlemen trekked down the aisle towards the exit while she placed the card in her wallet. She walked over to Aiden's best friend, the guy who was going to be his best man, to console him. Noel was in shambles.

Meanwhile, outside of the church…

Wilden growled through clenched teeth. "Never try to upstage me again, rookie."

"I apologize. That wasn't my intention. I just thought—"

"See, that's your problem. You think. I'm the lead detective; you're the amateur. You follow my lead and watch me crack this case like an egg."

"I wasn't implying you couldn't. It's just that I was trying to prevent telling her at the funeral that her fiancé was murdered on their wedding day. It wasn't the time or place for bad news like that. Just trying to spare her feelings, you know."

Wilden's cold icy orbs shot daggers at his partner. "Do I look like I care about the feelings of the number one suspect?"

"Wait… What? Really? We suspect her? Why would she want the man she's about to marry dead?"

"See, if you spend less time consoling the suspects and more time doing detective work, you'll discover stuff. He was having an affair."


End file.
